Utah Tech could not overcome three costly first half turnovers as the Trailblazers dropped their 2026 road opener at in-state foe and Big 12 power No. 14/15 BYU, 63-7, on Saturday night at LaVell Edwards Stadium.
Utah Tech (0-2/0-1 Big Sky) committed two of its three miscues in the first quarter, which the Cougars (1-0/0-0 Big 12) turned into touchdowns as BYU bolted out to a commanding 21-0 lead just seconds into the second period.
The Trailblazers turned the ball over again on their first possession of the second quarter, which BYU cashed in with another touchdown. The Cougars went on to add a pair of scores later in the frame and retreated into the halftime break with a 42-0 advantage.
Utah Tech managed to get on the scoreboard with 4:45 to play in the third quarter when running back
Ace Chatman plowed into the end zone from one yard out. The touchdown capped a 15-play, 75-yard drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock.
The Trailblazers finished with 184 yards of offense for the game. Junior quarterback
Bronson Barben came off the bench in the second quarter and went 12-for-22 passing for 115 yards.
Chatman rushed for 38 yards on 12 carries to go with his first touchdown of the season and his sixth-career rushing touchdown overall. Junior wide receiver
Darnell O'Quinn caught three passes for a team-high 41 yards, while senior tailback
Kona Crowell tied a career high with four receptions for 21 yards out of the backfield.
On defense,
Quincy Lejay,
Moe Passi and
Brevin Czosnyka all finished with seven tackles apiece, while linebacker
Will Alovao registered his second sack in as many games.
"Obviously not the results that we would like, not the score that we would like," said Utah Tech Head Coach
Lance Anderson. "I thought there were some encouraging things there late in the game, where the offense was able to move the football, to sustain some drives, which is a positive sign for us.
"We've just got to get better at a lot of the fundamental things, whether it's blocking, tackling, getting off blocks," Anderson added. "I think the guys competed the entire game. We got another test next week going to Montana, but we've just got to continue to get better at the fundamental things and continue to just play with great effort."
BYU tallied 521 yards of total offense in the victory, with 308 of those yards coming on the ground, as six different Cougar ball carriers recorded at least 30 yards rushing.
Cougar quarterback Bear Bachmeier completed 16 of his 20 passes for 198 yards with three touchdowns, and ran for another score, all in the first half.
Utah Tech continues the non-conference portion of its 2026 schedule next Saturday at nationally-ranked Montana. Kick-off inside Washington-Grizzly Stadium in Missoula is set for 1 p.m. (MT).
